Time wasting

For your entertainment.

It has begun

Trollhaugen has begun making snow. I don't think they will be open for this weekend. But then again who knows? I've known these guys to lay down a 6" carpet of snow over the big hill in two days. I hope it sticks.

Trollhaugen snowmaking.  October 29th at 7:30am

Start them early

Still no snow.  Get your dose of cute here.  I didn't do this.  The kid actually put on my rollerskis and decided to go for some doublepole action.  This was from last summer.

Waiting for Snow

I'm ready.  I am so ready.  This is the time of the year when hundreds of metro area skiers make the pilgrimage to Trollhaugen in Dresser, WI just so they can run laps up and down the big hills.  Yes, you read that right.  We ski up as far as we can, then turn around and ski right back down.  Some of the more accomplished skiers show off their telemark skills on the way down while most of us just point them straight down the hill and pray.  This is what it looks like today on their webcam.

It's supposed to get down to 25F on Wednesday.   I'll take another look at their webcam then.  Hopefully it looks like this with the guns going full blast.

This is what happens when you don't watch out for the soft fresh snow at the bottom.

New Loppet Trails

Today was the City of Lakes Loppet trails day. More than a hundred volunteers showed up to help with trail preparation.   Two difficult climbs and a flat section totalling 500 meters were added to the Judy loop.   The whole loop is now nine meters wide over its five kilometer length so there's plenty of room to pass without stepping on poles.

The youngest volunteer. What a trooper.

A good spot to watch the racers go by. 

As you can see there's plenty of room for jump skating.

Judy Lutter approves.  This is the final climb to the stadium.

South of Glenwood.  Jeff Richards admires his work.

Same hill as above.  Seeded and protected from the rains.

A Little Refresher Before You Get on Snow

This guy is my coach. He may not think he's my coach but he is. It's pretty amazing what you can learn from the few seconds you spend watching him as he whizzes by. I managed to catch him standing still one day. To be honest it was a trap. It took four walls, video games, and a promise of schnitzel to get him to do this. Once again, no secrets, just the basics.

Picking Skis

Remember that guy below?  He got his wish.  He's getting new skis.  But first he has to fight Caitlin Compton for the best pairs.  Here she is Improving her hand/eye coordination.

The better part of valor and avoiding a black eye is to let the Olympian get first pick.  

Picking skis is part science and part black magic.  Here's Brian Gregg working on the science part.  I suspect he was actually thinking about dinner.

Matt Liebsch applying the squeeze.  Here he's trying to weed out the bottom of the pack.   Matt's literally been through thousands of pairs of skis this year alone.  He is arguably one of the best ski fitters in the country. 

Some more skis.  But you've all seen these before.

 After squeezing and pressure mapping you still have to put them on the board.

His tallness and 2010 Olympian Garrott Kuzzy doing his best to apply equal weight.   Nice pants Kuz.

Perfect balance.  Nothing like Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest to usher in the new ski season.

Monday After the Birkie

Breaking radio silence. But first, the second part of the last video. The same guy walks into Gear West on Monday after the Birkie.

Monday Before the Birkie

It's Monday, February 20th. The year is 2051. Some guy just walked into Gear West.

Training Secrets and a Resolution

Most people vow to start their New Year's resolutions at the beginning of the year.  For me the New Year starts after the snow melts.  This is when we bust out the bikes and running shoes and complain about the heat.

I've decided to run more this year and keep running through the ski season.  Most of the top skiers run.  Almost every college team starts their say with a morning jog.  Some elite skiers do their runs after dinner.   It's a short run.  Perhaps thirty minutes or so, but they all do it.  But that's not why I'll do it.  I'm not one to do things just because everyone does it.

I never before felt the need to run but this past season it finally made sense to me.   One of the primary muscles used in running is the hamstring.  It is involved a little in striding but for the most part the hamstrings aren't used much in skiing.  But here's what I think.  While you're skiing blood is rushing through all parts of your body.  It's rushing through all the muscles you use and all the muscles you don't use.  It's even rushing through your hamstrings.  As it is your hamstrings are just sitting there just relaxing and killing time.  Why not then make them hamstrings do some work?   If you train them so they actually can do something then you have this little extra 1-2% of muscle that can actually help eat up all that lactic acid you produce while you're climbing!

Of course there's no actual way you can test this hypothesis.  All I can say is that I've seen one athlete add running to his winter routine and it seems to have upped his level a notch.  Maybe it'll up mine a notch too.  I'll be happy with half a notch.

Learn Harmony and how to Sight Read on the Guitar

Adam Levine is a top cat who used to teach a fantastic class at the Grove School of Music called Fretboard Harmony.  How top was Adam?  Well there was Tommy, John Pisano, and Adam Levine.  This is basically his method.  Nothing special needed to adapt it for CG.

Sight reading takes practice.  My view on sight reading is that it's not about sight reading a lot, it's about recognizing patterns and learning a more powerful language so you can understand the music a bit better.  In otherwords, instead of reading C-E-G as in the example to the left, you think "oh, C Major triad."  I don't have a method book, but maybe I can outline a possible method for you.  You will need a sheet of manuscript paper and a pencil.  Here we go.

Step 1 


Find your triads.  If you start with one note, play every other note in the scale, and stop when you've played three notes then that's a triad.   In the key of C, find the I chord (C-E-G) and notate it.  Obviously that's C Major.  Play it on the first three strings on your guitar.  Next find the ii chord.  Start on the second note of the C Major scale and play every other note.  That'll be D-F-A, or D minor.  Write that down again on your manuscript.  Play it on the first three strings of your guitar.   Continue doing the same until you get to B-D-F.  That's a diminished chord.  So in order the chords are:


1 Major
ii minor
iii minor
IV Major
V Major
vi minor
vii dim


Step 2  


Once you've done the above on the first three strings of the guitar, start playing triad combinations.  Common ones are ii-V-I and vi-ii-V-I.  Sound familiar?

 Step 3

Now here is the important part.  This will get you understanding the fretboard like no other.  There are three positions in which a triad can be played on the first three strings of the guitar.  Find all these positions using all the triads you've figured out and write them down.  It is important that you write these down because it will give you a visual of what these triads look like.  Now notice your left hand pattern for each one of these positions and create a mental image.  For example, say to yourself "Ah, a iii minor triad looks like THIS, and a V Major triad looks like THIS."

Step 4


Start playing triad combinations using all of your newfound positions.  For example, play a ii-V-I in the key of C in 5th, 3rd, and 8th position.  After awhile, given that you've put in the time, you should be able look at a piece of music and at least provide a rough analysis of its harmonic structure and know where you should be putting your fingers without too much trouble.

Steps 5 and beyond

You can expand on the above learning exercises.  If you do just a little bit everyday, very soon you'll be able to read stuff like Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu on your guitar!  (yeah right)

* Find your triads using strings 2-3-4, 3-4-5-, and 4-5-6 on your guitar.  It is still important that you write them down and give them names.

* Do it in every key.
*  Add 7th's.  Start with strings 1-2-3-4 and go from there.
*  Learn the Harmonic, Natural, and Melodic minor scales.  Repeat steps 1-4.

That's all there is to it.  This provides you a structured way of learning harmony and sight reading all at the same time.  I hope it helps and makes some sense to you.

Self Discovery

More things I've learned about myself this past season. 

10)  You'll never know you have fast skis unless you ski fast.

9)  The wax kicks.  It is you who doesn't.

8)  If you condense your 700 hours a year of training into six months then you'll be skiing fast at the start of the season. (spread the other 400 over the race season)

7)  Never believe an elite skier when he says you can doublepole the whole course.  No.  HE can doublepole the whole course.

6)  At the end of the season nobody cares how you did at Mora, at the Loppet, the Noque, or the Pepsi.  They care only about how you did at the Birkie.

5)  Congratulations on succesfully avoiding overtraining for yet another season.  This must be a record!

4)  No matter what the conditions you will never have the perfect wax/structure/ski combination.

3)  Despite what your friends say, they derive some small satisfaction in having beaten you - same goes for me.

 2)  (8) is really not about me.  I trained maybe 300 hours last year.


And the best of all...

1)  For a child, 34th place at the Olympics is cause for celebration.  Thanks Garrett.


 

Midwest Juniors

Garrett came in 2nd the Midwest Junior Championships yesterday.  He competed in the skate sprints and made it all the way to the final round.

He always looks so dynamic in every picture.  I never look as good in the pics.

Garrett and Dad after the medal ceremonies.

That Overdistance

So I lied.  Today was really my final day of skiing.  I had to burn off some of that charcuterie platter I had at Victory 44 yesterday.  Charcuterie is the ultimate showcase of a Butcher's art.  In a nutshell, it's the art of turning discards into delicacies.  Pates and terrines, sausages and headcheese, bacon and ham - as the old French chefs used to say, "everything but the squeal of the pig."

But I digest...

I'm still fairly new to skiing, and that brings me back around to the title of this post.  I skied a little with Dave Bridges today.  He was already skiing when I got to Elm Creek and had probably done maybe four loops.  I skied a loop on my own and then joined the pack for a about four laps. Then I rested.  Dave Christopherson showed up and we skied maybe four laps together.  I took a little break and rejoined them when they came back around.  We skied maybe two more laps together - something like that.  Then I broke off and skied an easy lap by myself while they kept on going.  This is when it dawned on me.  Dave Bridges probably puts in at least 40k everytime he gets out!  That's 4/5ths of a Birkie everytime he skies!  I pointed it out to him.  Nope.  He didn't deny it.  The two Daves were still skiing when I pulled out of the parking lot.

Bear with me.  This is my point.   Over the course of the whole winter my longest ski was 40k and it took me over three hours.  When Dave goes out for his three hour "over distance" workouts he probably manages to get in 50k.  (he did the Birkie in 2h 20m)

Most marathon plans have you doing at least two 20 milers before your marathon.  The top marathoners do those 20 miles in under three hours.  If you don't happen to be a top marathoner you still have to do those 20 mile runs.  Sure you might finish the full 26.2 come raceday but you might not be able walk for a few days after.   I know this for a fact.

It's the same thing with skiing.  In order to ski fast you need to put in the distance.  It doesn't matter if you do eighteen three hour OD workouts but cover only 20k each time.  You need to at least come close to 50k.  But here's the catch.  In order to get there you need to be fit enough and ski well enough.   As Dave said, I'd better get cracking this summer.  Thanks a lot Dave.

Going International

I hope the kid doesn't read this.  Sooner or later he'll find this blog and it will no doubt embarass him.  I might just let it happen and capture his expression it on video when he does.  It boggles my mind how two average parents could have such an attractive and charismatic kid.

So there he is.  On a Boxtops for Education ad to be used in some Latin American countries.

The Hero

There's a place on the internet for heroes.  Check out a film I just made.

OK I didn't make it, but the hero I picked was a perfect fit for the film.  Be patient and watch it to the end.  Don't cry.

Everyone's Golf Swing is Different

I haven't been skiing since Sunday.  I don't think I'll ski anymore this season.  I'm going to miss skiing.  I find I discover some rather profound things while I ski.  I can't seem remember many of them but here's one I do recall.

Everybody has a different Golf swing.  How far you hit a golf ball is about how much force you can get to the ball at the point of contact.  Skiing is about one thing and one thing only.  The amount of power one can transmit efficiently between your body and the snow.  In skate skiing this is accomplished through double poling and leg push.  How much power and how efficient that power gets to the snow depends on your swing.  Golfers are always working on their swing.  I should work on mine too.  Swing swing swing.

Faster Than Fasterskier

Someone at Nordic Commentary Project stayed up all night to watch the Swedish Vasaloppet.  There's even live commentary over there. 

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Dadisms.  A dadism is something your old man says to you from a position of authority.  He says it like he knows what he's talking about and talks about it like it's a simple thing.  In reality, the old guy has no idea.  It's just one of those things he says when he's out of things to say and you're still not getting it.   Bend those knees Johnny!  Keep your eye on the ball!   Funny thing is these two tips alone will work for almost all sports.  Soccer, baseball, basketball, and even hockey.  (sub ball with puck)

Skiing is full of its own dadisms too.  Stuff like ankle flexion and hips forward, high hands and weight transfer.  Here's a list of skiing dadisms and how to use them.   Learn them well so you too can yell out instructions like a professional coach and embarass your kid in front of the whole ski team.  Make sure to say let's go or upupup before each phrase.

High hands- Get those hands up Johnny!  Use your abs!
Hips forward -Push those hips forward!  Lean into the hill!
Forward lean - (see Hips forward)
Ankle flexion - More ankle flexion!  It's free glide!
Weight transfer - Get over that ski!
Crunch - Crunch!  Get your power from that crunch! 
Open up those lats - Let's see those lats wide open!  Elbows up!
Fall forward - Use that bodyweight!  Fall onto your poles!

For added impact, throw in a John Madden.  John Madden was master of the obvious when it came to football analysis.  He used to say things like (duh) "the Raiders need better defense and score more points than the Broncos in the second half in order to win."   To really pretend you know what you're saying, combine ski dadisms with John Maddenisms to really drive the point home.

Northug looks fatigued.  He isn't getting his hands high as he was during the first lap and if he really wants to win this race he'll have to pass Hellner either on the final hill or at the finish in the stadium.

Oh, and don't forget,  

GOOD JOB!

Sausage Invitational

Tonight was the inaugural Sausage Invitational ski race at French Park.  Contestants were given 1k credit per bratwurst eaten.  We were graced with the presence of World Cup skier,  two time Mora Vasaloppet, 2009 American Birkebeiner winner Matt Liebsch.  Matt showed up with Grant Liebsch and they skied in tandem with Grant drafting most of the way.

Winner:  Greg Brew 1 brat + 3 laps
2nd place:  David Anderson 4 brats + 2 laps
3rd place:  Garrett Teoh 1 hotdog + 1 lap
4th place:  Kuan Teoh 4 brats + 1 lap
5th place:  Grant Liebsch 1 lap
DFL:  Matt Liebsch (tap out)

Honorable mention goes to Rich Spielberg who rode his bicycle 30 miles for a hotdog.

The prize?  Heidi made some summer sausage.  It's in the smoker.

How Many Hours Did You Train?

Charlotte Kalla trained 678 hours in 2007.  She was 20 years old then.  In an article here she said she planned to train 720 hours for the 2008/9 season.  She's probably close to 800 hours this year.

Lukas Bauer trained 800 hours this year in preparation for the Olympics.

Kowalcyk trains 1200 hours according to Patrick Stinson who heard it from Tor Arne Hetland.

Yours truly trained roughly 300 hours.  Half of that was junk.  The other half was split between going up hills and catching my breath.   I started a poll.  Vote early, vote often, but don't vote if you're dead.

The Other Wunderkind from Norway

I'm talking about Magnus Carlsen. Possibly the world's best chess player right now. Born in 1990, he earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 13 and has never looked back.

The other Norwegian is of course Petter Northug.  Both Carlsen and Northug have had similiar development timelines. Both came into prominence early in their careers. Both were hailed as heirs to the throne in their respective disciplines and both were are pretty cocky when they step into the arena. For example, the opening move in Carlsen's win vs. former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov while playing black pretty much raised a wtf flag from the crowd. The game was pretty much over at move 19 where Magnus had a pawn charging down the center of the board and his bishop maintaining a stranglehold on the long diagonal.

Northug pretty much does the same thing during mass starts.  He's content to sit in the crowd because he's so cocksure of his ability to put 20 meters on just about anyone during the final sprint.  Here's a lesser known video of Northug vs Teichmann.



Which leads me to think.  One could put together an entire documentary of Northug-Teichmann battles.  But that would be mean.

How do Pure Fluoros Stick to Ski Bases?

How do topcoats stick to skis? They don't stick to anything so why would they stick to ski bases? My best guess is the super secret stuff that topcoats are made of get heated into the top layer of whatever wax there is on the skis. Some nerdy guy with a Ph.D (and top level skier) once guessed that fluoros bonded to the base via some mode of Van der Waal interaction. He also conceded that he had no other explanation. Really?

Birkie Aerial Footage

How it started and how it finished. Check out Lake Superior Helicopters

A_GEL_ITY

So yesterday was the Birkie. The short story: Lost two gels while trying to fiddle around with getting it out of a brand new pouch. Never drank from my bottle. The gels I had stapled to my drink belt fell off in my race bag. Lost a basket. Spent a minute skiing back down to reattach the darn thing. Cramped up in both legs.

I don't know what I was thinking. Although I managed to place right in the middle of my wave I also managed to partially reenact my epic Birkie of 2008 where I cramped up at 35k and had to walk the hills. I was a little luckier this time. I cramped up at 40k, but not so badly that I had to walk the hills. Nevertheless, did I really think I could ski the Birkie on one 2h45m skate in the middle of January? Sure I had a few shorter and more intense workouts between that "long" ski and the Birkie, but really, wtf was I thinking?

Despite all that I managed to accomplish one goal. I stayed on my feet. In fact, I stayed on my feet at all my races this year except for Mora where I did a mini Majdic. Thankfully I didn't break any ribs or puncture a lung.

So that's it. My Birkie. My season. Next season I'll probably do more skate distance workouts and staple my gels to a fuel belt. I won't carry a bottle. I'll reglue my baskets. You got a story?

My first entry

As the name suggests, I'm pack filler. XC ski pack filler to be specific - with the occasional run race thrown in. I'm the guy who makes up the numbers at a ski race. The guy, who, along with 8000 others, makes the Birkebeiner that big old bonkfest of aching backs and cramping quads.